A SPECIAL REPORT SERIES BY THE N.C. DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH, AND NATURAL RESOURCES,
DIVISION OF STATISTICS AND INFORMATION SERVICES, CENTER FOR HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL STATISTICS,
P.O. BOX 27687, RALEIGH, N.C. 27611-7687.
No. 60 December 1991
NORTH CAROLINA BIRTH DEFECTS UPDATE
by
Annette L. Murray
ABSTRACT
The North Carolina Birth Defects Registry is an important source of data for the ongoing surveillance
of birth defect incidence in the state. This study presents an update on the Birth Defects Registry using
1988 data. This was the first year of using an expanded birth certificate which includes a new method of
recording birth defects as well as some new items relating to medical characteristics of the mother and
child. Selected tabulations of the 1988 data are presented and incidence data for forty-four of the most
common birth defect conditions are reported. Future Registry modifications are also discussed. Use of
Birth Defects Registry data by health and environmental science researchers and public health planners is
encouraged and supported by the State Center for Health and Environmental Statistics (SCHES). Special
tabulations of the data are available by request.